Latest Buzzkill Podcast Episodes
Hugh Thompson: Man Crush Monday
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - September 26, 2022 09:05 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsWarrant Officer Hugh Thompson stopped the My Lai Massacre from continuing and saved hundreds of civilian lives. A true hero of the Vietnam War, Thompson was someone whose humanitarian actions have been noted, but not celebrated enough. Professor Philip Nash tells us why Hugh deserves a Man Crush...
The Roots of Johnny Cash
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - September 20, 2022 14:47 - 34 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsLong-time Buzzkiller, Dr. Colin Woodward, discusses his new book, Country Boy: the Roots of Johnny Cash. Woodward dispels many myths about Cash, but also about the culture he grew up in, as well as the ways his music developed over his long career. Episode 476.
Martin Niemöller "First They Came..." Encore: Wisdom Wednesday!
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - September 14, 2022 09:05 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsComedian Gary Gulman uses “empathy” as a theme in his new show “Born on Third Base.” Among other things, he discussed Pastor Martin Niemöller famous quote “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out --- because I was not a socialist.” That is perhaps the most touching and thought...
Early Baseball: History and Myth
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - September 13, 2022 15:33 - 37 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsProfessor Buzzkill gets schooled on the early history of baseball! Noted baseball historian, Richard Hershberger, corrects the mistakes that Professor Buzzkill made in his earlier show on Abner Doubleday. But he goes further to explain the complexities of the early years of baseball. Not only is ...
Hatshepsut: the Female Egyptian Pharaoh. Woman Crush Wednesday Encore!
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - September 07, 2022 09:05 - 4 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsEgyptologists consider Hatshepsut, the fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, one of the most powerful pharaohs in Egyptian history. Join us as we have a Woman Crush Wednesday about the Egyptian pharaoh who the famous American archaeologist and Egyptologist James Henry Breasted called,...
Heather Cox Richardson explains Lincoln’s “House Divided” Speech
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - September 05, 2022 09:00 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsDid Abraham Lincoln actually say “a house divided against itself cannot stand”? We place that quote in its historical context. And Dr. Heather Cox Richardson gives us a wonderful analysis of its meaning in American history, and its importance for our times. Episode 474.
Did Abner Doubleday Invent Baseball?
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - August 29, 2022 09:05 - 3 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsIt's baseball season and time for a myth about the national pastime. Once again, a second- or third-hand story created a persistent myth. Did Abner Doubleday invent baseball in Cooperstown in 1839? If not, who did? Find out all about it! Episode 473
Dog Poop and Social Order in Recent History
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - August 23, 2022 09:00 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsDr. Tim Newburn explains how modern societies (especially Britain) have organized themselves since the 1970s. He uses the new practice of cleaning up after dogs to bust myths about the orderliness of the “good old days.” The relatively recent phenomenon of “pooper scoopers” explains why some soci...
Ronald Reagan and Ann Sheridan for the Lead Parts in Casablanca?
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - August 22, 2022 09:00 - 2 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsWarner Bros Studios pumped out this myth, Buzzkillers, before production had even started on the movie. Reagan was too genial to play a world-weary, hard-drinking, cynical American who left occupied France to run a bar in Morocco. Bogart practically embodied the role, and he was slated for the pa...
Race and the US Supreme Court: Justice Deferred
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - August 11, 2022 09:00 - 49 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsProfessor Vernon Burton joins us to explain the long and tortured history of the ways in which the United States Supreme Court has handled race. The Supreme Court is usually seen as the protector of our liberties: it ended segregation, was a guarantor of fair trials, and safeguarded free speech a...
Manhattan for $24? Best Real Estate Deal Ever! Or Was It?
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - August 08, 2022 09:00 - 6 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsNot even Donald Trump could have made this deal. Have you heard that Dutch settlers bought the island of Manhattan from Native Americans for a measly $24? Turns out it was more complicated than that. New York finance always is. Episode 468.
3-Year-Old "Chimney Sweep" Video
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - August 04, 2022 10:17 - 27 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsJason Steinhauer of the History Communications Institute joins us to explain the veracity of the film clip of a "3-year-old chimney sweep" from the 1930s that's gone viral on social media. Is it heart-breaking evidence of child labor, or is it something else? He also explains how it went viral an...
Vikings Didn't Wear Horned Helmets
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - August 01, 2022 04:15 - 1 minute ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsMonday Myth for Extra Credit! A Viking horned helmet would have been very impractical, and perhaps dangerous, in battle, Buzzkillers. Horned helmets are most likely the invention of legendary opera composer Wagner’s costume designer in the 19th century. Episode 466
USS Indianapolis Anniversary Encore
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - July 29, 2022 04:55 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsJuly 30th is the anniversary of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis during World War II in the Pacific in 1945. Captain Quint’s story about the USS Indianapolis in the movie “Jaws” is only the beginning of a gut-wrenching piece of history. There’s a lot more to the Indianapolis sinking than most ...
USS Indianapolis Anniverary Encore
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - July 29, 2022 04:55 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsJuly 30th is the anniversary of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis during World War II in the Pacific in 1945. Captain Quint’s story about the USS Indianapolis in the movie “Jaws” is only the beginning of a gut-wrenching piece of history. There’s a lot more to the Indianapolis sinking than most ...
Before Evil: Lenin, Stalin, and Putin
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - July 28, 2022 04:10 - 50 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsProfessor Brandon Gauthier uses Lenin, Stalin, and Putin as case studies to try to help us understand the reasons why certain political leaders become monsters. By looking further into their pasts and noting the important changes in their attitudes towards other human beings, Gauthier shows how r...
Beyond Evil: Lenin, Stalin, and Putin
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - July 28, 2022 04:10 - 50 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsProfessor Brandon Gauthier uses Lenin, Stalin, and Putin as case studies to try to help us understand the reasons why certain political leaders become monsters. By looking further into their pasts and noting the important changes in their attitudes towards other human beings, Gauthier shows how r...
People Rarely Bathed in the Past?
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - July 25, 2022 04:05 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsMonday Myth for Extra Credit! How often did people bathe in the past? Hardly ever, according to popular perception. Well that’s not true, Buzzkillers! Not only did people wash more frequently than is generally thought, they had innovative and creative ways to get it done (even in cold weather). M...
Covid Variants? Insurrection Hearings? Tense Elections? Was "May You Live in Interesting Times" a Famous Chinese Curse?
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - July 18, 2022 04:05 - 4 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsCrikey. These are interesting times. But is “may you live in interesting times” actually an old Chinese curse, or is the history of that saying more complicated? We take you from Chinese folk tales in 1627 to 20th-century British politicians in this encore episode of Quote or No Quote, trying to ...
Piece of Sh*t Saturday: Salmon P. Chase
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - July 16, 2022 04:05 - 13 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsProfessor Heather Cox Richardson gives us the low-down on one of history's pieces of sh*t, Salmon P. Chase (the man on the $10,000 bill). Hear about his machinations during the Lincoln administration, his colossal ego, and how he helped saddle the United States with President Andrew Johnson. Ugh!...
Clare Boothe Luce: American Renaissance Woman, Part 2
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - July 14, 2022 04:15 - 54 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsYour favorite Buzzkill history professor, Dr. Philip Nash, gives us a fascinating glimpse into the life of Claire Boothe Luce, an American Renaissance woman if ever there was one. In part two of this two-parter, we discuss her career as a diplomat, and her fascinating personal life. Listen and le...
Venus De Milo Myths!
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - July 11, 2022 04:05 - 4 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsThe Venus de Milo is considered one of the most beautiful representations of a woman in ancient Greek sculpture. But she is probably more famous for her missing arms. Were they really broken off in a fight over her by zealous archaeologists? And what would she look like if her arms weren’t missin...
Clare Boothe Luce: American Renaissance Woman, Part 1
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - July 07, 2022 04:15 - 50 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsYour favorite Buzzkill history professor, Dr. Philip Nash, gives us a fascinating glimpse into the life of Claire Boothe Luce, an American Renaissance woman if ever there was one. In part one of this two-parter, we discuss her early life and career as a journalist and writer, and her fascinating ...
The Many Myths About the Declaration of Independence: 4th of July Special Encore!
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - July 04, 2022 04:05 - 37 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsEvery July, American Buzzkillers get inundated with chain emails, Facebook posts, and Tweets that spread more myths about the Declaration of Independence. No matter how many times they’ve been disproved, they seem to crop up every year. John Hancock signed his name so large that “King George can ...
The NRA: the Unauthorized History
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - June 30, 2022 04:15 - 45 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsThe history of the American National Rifle Association is completely different from what most American think it is. Award-winning journalist, Frank Smyth, gives us the full history of the NRA, and how it changed so dramatically in 1977. Further, he shows how the post-1977 NRA has re-written its h...
Why is it called "The Liberty Bell"?
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - June 27, 2022 04:15 - 6 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsProfessor Buzzkill is an exciting podcast that explores history myths in an illuminating, entertaining, and humorous way.
Was "Ring Around the Rosie" about the Black Plague?
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - June 20, 2022 04:15 - 4 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratings“Ring Around the Rosie” has been a popular nursery rhyme for a very long time. Many of us learned it when we were children. But we often hear people claim that the rhyme is traceable to the time of the Black Plague, and that each line is a morbid reminder of the horrors of Bubonic disease. But wa...
Was "Ring Around the Rosie" about the Bubonic Plague?
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - June 20, 2022 04:15 - 4 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratings“Ring Around the Rosie” has been a popular nursery rhyme for a very long time. Many of us learned it when we were children. But we often hear people claim that the rhyme is traceable to the time of the Black Plague, and that each line is a morbid reminder of the horrors of Bubonic disease. But wa...
Juneteenth and the “End of Slavery in the US”: What’s in a Date?
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - June 17, 2022 04:15 - 15 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratings"Juneteenth" (June 19th) is now widely regarded as marking the end of slavery in the United States. Professor Buzzkill examines the many dates related to the abolition of human enslavement in the US. And he pleads for more holidays observing this moral advance! Listen and learn. Episode 456.
Winston Churchill "Blood, Sweat, and Tears" Quote or No Quote? Encore!
Professor Buzzkill History Podcast - June 06, 2022 04:05 - 5 minutes ★★★★★ - 180 ratingsAfter his first speech as prime minister, Winston Churchill's "blood, toil, tears, and sweat," got shortened and re-arranged. As "blood, sweat, and tears," it's become one of the most quoted Churchill-isms. But like so many of these "quotes," the idea of "blood, sweat, and tears," has been around...
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